Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy on Fighting Back

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast: "Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy on Fighting Back"

Release Date: April 7, 2025
Host: MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
Guest: Yasmin Rogers, Executive Director of Swing Left

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1. Introduction and Economic Concerns

The episode opens with Ben addressing the current economic downturn, highlighting significant declines in major stock indices such as the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq, each plummeting approximately 4-5% on consecutive days. He questions the effectiveness of MAGA Republican members of Congress, suggesting their policies are contributing to economic instability.

Ben [02:45]:
"We're seeing massive GDP contraction, massive layoffs in factories. Worse, the opposite of what he said. Up is down, down is up."

2. Critique of MAGA Republican Messaging

Ben plays clips from MAGA-affiliated state legislators to illustrate their support for former President Trump and their justifications for current economic policies.

• Wendy Rogers, Arizona State Senator [01:07]:
  "President Trump, this is your favorite state senator from Arizona, Wendy Rogers. I just want you to know that I am wearing the Trump watch and I sport these gold Trump shoes every chance I get on the floor of the Arizona legislature."

• Jim Banks, MAGA Republican Senator [01:58]:
  "Countries are already coming to the table. And this is what's brilliant about what President Trump is up to. He's put other countries on notice."

Ben criticizes these statements, arguing that the touted "disruption" is actually harming the economy, leading to GDP contractions and layoffs contrary to the senators' claims.

Ben [03:13]:
"When it comes to these MAGA Republicans, I at least give. I can't believe I'm even saying this. Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of credit. At least he says. I'm concerned about what's happening right now."

3. Voices from the Ground: Impact on Small Businesses

The podcast features testimonials from small business owners adversely affected by the current administration's policies.

• Small Business Owner [03:34]:
  "Trump just destroyed my business. Trump announced his massive tax plan on items coming from other countries. He says that the countries are going to pay that. That's false."

• Jim Banks [04:16]:
  "Tariffs are freaking killing me, man. We're startup. We are American entrepreneurs."

These accounts underscore the real-world consequences of the administration's economic strategies, particularly tariffs, on small businesses and entrepreneurs.

4. Introducing Yasmin Rogers and Swing Left's Mission

Ben introduces Yasmin Rogers, Executive Director of Swing Left, an organization dedicated to mobilizing progressive voters to reclaim the House of Representatives. Yasmin shares insights into the organization's efforts and the current political landscape.

Yasmin Rogers [04:58]:
"Yesterday's economic hit is really scary for folks. But we also saw what we're setting the stage for with the Wisconsin Supreme Court election... We're only three seats away from winning the house."

5. Recent Electoral Successes and Strategic Plans

Yasmin highlights recent victories in Wisconsin and Florida as pivotal moments for Swing Left, demonstrating increased Democratic enthusiasm and electoral momentum.

Yasmin Rogers [04:58]:
"We saw incredible double digit Democratic over performance... we're only three seats away from winning the house."

She introduces the "Three to Win" campaign, emphasizing the critical importance of winning just three additional House seats to secure a Democratic majority.

6. Organizing Efforts: From Digital to Grassroots

The conversation delves into Swing Left's dual approach of leveraging digital platforms and fostering grassroots, community-based organizing. Yasmin discusses the importance of offline engagement to build strong, connected communities capable of sustained political action.

Yasmin Rogers [09:36]:
"It's actually like very strategically important for us to spend some time slowing down offline as we engage also in this very fast moving digital media landscape... because folks are also feeling things outside of our politics that are impacting them."

7. Call to Action: How Listeners Can Get Involved

Yasmin provides actionable steps for listeners to participate in Swing Left's initiatives, encouraging the formation of local chapters and active community engagement.

Yasmin Rogers [11:12]:
"Folks can go to swingleft.org/house and they can get involved today in the fight to win back the House. They can join, as you said, a local group because, you know, we're 18 months away from this election."

Ben reinforces this message, urging listeners to visit the website, join or start local chapters, and share their efforts on social media to amplify the movement's reach.

Ben [15:21]:
"What can I do? I think this is a step that you can take. Go to the website, take a look at what chapters are nearby, think about starting your own chapter and then share the photos and videos online."

8. Conclusion and Final Encouragement

The episode concludes with mutual expressions of gratitude between Ben and Yasmin, and a final exhortation for listeners to subscribe and engage with the MeidasTouch community.

Ben [15:58]:
"And everybody. Hit subscribe and let's get to 5 million subscribers. Love this video. Continue the conversation by following us on Instagram."

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Key Takeaways:

• Economic Critique: The podcast criticizes MAGA Republicans for policies leading to economic downturns, emphasizing the negative impact on small businesses and entrepreneurs.

• Swing Left's Role: Yasmin Rogers outlines Swing Left's strategy to mobilize voters and win three additional House seats, positioning this as pivotal for countering the current administration's agenda.

• Community Engagement: Emphasis on blending digital activism with grassroots organizing to build strong, connected communities capable of driving significant political change.

• Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to actively participate by joining or starting local Swing Left chapters, engaging in community events, and leveraging social media to support the movement.

This episode serves as a comprehensive discussion on the intersection of current economic policies, political strategy, and grassroots mobilization, providing listeners with both a critique of existing policies and a roadmap for proactive engagement to support democratic values.

Transcript

[Ben]

It's tourney time. And with FanDuel's dog of the day, you could get a daily profit boost during the college conference championships to bet on any underdog. So get ready to celebrate some upsets.

[Yasmin Rogers]

No one saw that coming except for me, baby.

[Ben]

21 plus in President select states opt in required minimum plus 100 eyes required bonus issued is non withdrawable profit boost tokens restriction supply including token expiration and max wager amount. See [e-mail] Gambling problem. Call 1-800-gambler Republican members of Congress and in the Senate are giving Americans the middle finger as the markets look like this, down about 4%. The Dow, the S P was down about 5%. Nasdaq down about 5% on Friday. This was on top of similar losses on Thursday. So I want to show you what are these MAGA Republican members of Congress, state representatives, centers like? What is their message to the people right now? Well, let's go to Arizona, see what this state legislator has to say. Maga, of course. Here, play this clip.

[Yasmin Rogers]

President Trump, this is your favorite state senator from Arizona, Wendy Rogers. I just want you to know that I am wearing the Trump watch and I sport these gold Trump shoes every chance I get on the floor of the Arizona legislature. And I'm proud to be working for you here in Arizona.

[Ben]

Yeah, that's, that's real. I mean, she's really a state legislator. Senator, state senator from Arizona. I will go to D.C. how about MAGA Republican Senator Jim Banks, who says we all knew this was going to be disruptive. That's what we wanted. The goal of this is what we promised you, Disruption, pain, suffering. So this is a win. This is actually what MAGA Republican Senator Jim Banks is saying, that these other.

[Jim Banks]

Countries are already coming to the table. And this is what's brilliant about what President Trump is up to. He's put other countries on notice. You're not going to take advantage of us anymore. They're already reacting. Canada and Mexico is begging President Trump to come to the table and negotiate their tariffs down and do away with our tariffs, too. We know this is going to be disruptive. But there's a silver lining and good news in the midst of all of it. And as you said, it's happening right in my hometown at a General Motors plant that's going to pay more and overtime and create hundreds of new, temporary, hopefully permanent jobs and make more cars in America because General Motors, a great American company, actually makes less cars that they sell in the US Than Toyota, Honda or subaru do.

[Ben]

We're seeing massive GDP contraction, massive layoffs in factories. Worse, the opposite of what he said. Up is down, down is up. When it comes to these MAGA Republicans, I at least give. I can't believe I'm even saying this. Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of credit. At least he says. I'm concerned about what's happening right now. At least there's a modicum of saying something semi accurate on Fox. Listen to this surplus.

[Jim Banks]

But we're $2 trillion away from balancing the budget. So from my standpoint, I'm certainly concerned about what's happening right now in the markets and I hope the administration is looking at that as well the Democrats.

[Ben]

Let's talk about what the people are saying right here. This from Cap Action speaking to small business and families across the country.

[Yasmin Rogers]

Let's play it so Trump just destroyed my business. Trump announced his massive tax plan on items coming from other countries. He says that the countries are going to pay that. That's false. It's the person bringing it in. And I own a small business. I wonder what our grocery bill is going to be like. I wonder if we can afford to upgrade our car when it breaks down. All those things are on my mind. I think it's really going to hurt our pocketbook.

[Jim Banks]

Tariffs are freaking killing me, man. We're startup. We are American entrepreneurs. We got our life savings in this. We got a loan. We are trying to make it happen. But we don't have the option to get this product made anywhere else.

[Yasmin Rogers]

Not really.

[Jim Banks]

We've looked into it.

[Yasmin Rogers]

Right now we're under serious strain from tariffs, especially on aluminum. Most of our BR is put in cans and our aluminum prices have increased 17% this calendar year year and are expected to grow even higher.

[Ben]

Now let's bring in executive director of Swing Left Yasmin Rogers. Been the executive director since 2022. Yasmin, you run an organization. People powered a million people across the country, chapters across the United States. I've been fortunate enough to be invited to speak at a lot of them here in California. What are you hearing from your membership in your different chapters right now?

[Yasmin Rogers]

Thank you so much for having me on, Ben, and being such a longtime friend of Swing less million members around the country. You know, I think this has been a week of a lot of emotional ups and downs. As you can imagine, yesterday's economic hit, as you know, you covered really thoughtfully just now is really scary for folks. Right. And our volunteers and our grassroots donors are people who have small businesses and have families and have car payments and have mortgages. And so the weight of this week is significant. As you know, really every week in this administration has been sort of overwhelming. And at the same time, this has been a week of a lot of real hope and a feeling like we have entered a new and more hopeful political paradigm. And that's because, you know, as you know, the Wisconsin Supreme Court election was this Tuesday night or was this Tuesday. And the results were called pretty early in the evening, which was exciting because what they showed was a full throated victory for the liberal justice on that court. And that's really, really important because not only does that mean Wisconsin now has a liberal majority or keeps a liberal majority on its court, it also means that we're setting the stage for the ability to draw fair lines for critical House districts and to have free and fair elections in Wisconsin and of course, so many other issues. And then we also saw other amazingly hopeful results in some of the deepest red turf in Florida. Two districts, House districts that we knew were unwinnable. We saw incredible double digit Democratic over performance. And you know, as you well know, Republicans are running really scared of everything that you showed in those clips earlier shows what we are all feeling, which is that Donald Trump made a series of pretty effective lies over the course of the 2024 election telling people that if they voted for him, he'd bring prices down. And what we saw yesterday, and it's sort of, it's surreal that he called it a day of liberation. It was really a day of real hamstringing of our economy and of people's lives. Folks are not just thinking, oh shoot, maybe we made the wrong decision. Folks are organizing in astronomical numbers around the country. And Wisconsin and Florida were just the beginning signs of the electoral consequences of what Trump is doing. But we're also seeing Republicans, independents, Democratic voters who stayed home this cycle showing up at town halls and organizing and at swing left. We've got, as you mentioned, a million members and about 400 groups all around the country led by volunteers. And we are seeing levels of enthusiasm not just in Wisconsin this week, but all across the country for folks to start really getting involved in the fight ahead. And we just launched this week our campaign called Three to Win, which is anchored on the number three, which is the three districts that we need to win to flip the House. And I'm talking about that here in response to your question around energy, because I think folks are both really pissed off and really worried about things like what Trump is doing to wreak havoc on our economy. And they wanna do something, but they're not really sure what they can do that doesn't just feel like they're blowing off steam, but feels like it is meaningful and it can put an actual check on Donald Trump, Elon Musk and on the MAGA agenda. And winning the House is that fight. And we, as we saw in Wisconsin, as we saw in Florida, there's enthusiasm, there's energy. We've got to point it in the right direction. We're only three seats away from winning the house. And if folks organize starting now, including in your backyard in California, in my backyard here in the, in the D.C. area, and in all sorts of even really blue parts of the country, most of us live within 90 minutes of a competitive swing district. We only need to win three of them to win back a House majority and that's only 7,309 votes. That's, you know, smaller than a Texas football game, smaller than a concert in la. And we can do that. And that really is going to put a meaningful check on an agenda that is deeply, deeply, deeply unpopular, as your clips earlier showed.

[Ben]

You know, I think these protests that we're seeing, like the hands off protests this weekend, are growing in strength. We're seeing the coordination of labor unions, people powered movements all together. These protests are growing in strength, they're growing in size. I predicted we're going to have what's going to be known as a summer of democracy or democracy summer. So on the one hand you have these protests. Now one of the things that I love about Swing Left is you say in our backyards we have these events. They're literally, sometimes these events are held in people's backyards. And so the different chapters hold events in their backyards where they draft postcards and they do canvassing together and just exchange ideas and someone will be the designated person, person in a specific town to host that at their house this time and then it's their house this time and they bring in good food and it's a fun way to have civic engagement with people and to take the concepts that we talk about here in the digital world, bring it into the real world and, and be warm and welcoming and empathetic. And so that was my experience going to these events. So let people know where if they want to join a Swing Left chapter or start a Swing Left chapter or be a part of one. What does that look like? What do they do if they see those clips at the beginning of the maga, people selling Trump sneakers or whatever and The MAGA Republican senators are like, you know what? I'm going somewhere today. Where do they go? What do they do?

[Yasmin Rogers]

You framed it exactly right. First of all, folks can go to swingleft.org,/house, and they can get involved today in the fight to win back the House. They can join, as you said, a local group because, you know, it's, we're 18 months away from this election. So what we're not looking for is to just have folks do one click and then, you know, move on with their lives. Of course, if folks want to do one click, they'll be able to donate to the highest impact races. They'll be able to, you know, get involved in that one click. But a lot of folks, as you said, digital fatigue is really real. And I think one of the reasons why your show is growing in its popularity is that we all gather online, right? We engage with content online, we text our friends and DM our friends online. But we all also have an appetite for real human conversation and engagement. And so all of that online engagement, whether that's listening to shows like yours, whether that's going to swing left.org it ultimately needs to have people have more to talk about when they're gathered together at dinner, find ways to connect. And if we're in an 18 month fight to win back the House, and then we're going to have two years before the next presidential election, and then after that, we're going to have a lot of work to do to rebuild our economy and our country. Given all the damage that Donald Trump and Elon Musk have already done, we've got to do that in a way where we are well trained for the marathon ahead. And our vantage point is we need to be really strong online and meet each other there. And in order to really build those muscles for the marathon ahead, we have to engage offline. And so when folks go to swingleft.org house they can sign up to join a swing left gathering in the community that they are closest to, wherever they are in the country. And whether or not there's a gathering already scheduled in your home turf, folks can host a gathering of their own. And that might be opening your doors, whether at your home or at a coffee shop or a park or whatever the case may be to others that you might not know yet, or whether it's getting your existing community a book club, your group of friends that you wish you saw a little bit more. This is not just, it's actually like very strategically important for us to spend some time slowing down offline as we engage also in this very fast moving digital media landscape, both so that we've got the strong muscle for the marathon ahead, but also because something I've observed a lot as we're getting feedback from volunteers and donors in this really, really challenging moment for our country is that folks are also feeling things outside of our politics that are impacting them. And that's a real sense of loneliness, of isolation, of fracture. You know, these are things that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, you know, Biden's surgeon general in the last administration called the top public health crisis in this country. And so at Swing Left, we are all about what are the highest impact actions that folks can take to make a material difference in shifting the balance of power for Democrats. So we've got a fighting chance on fighting for an economy that works for all, for a democracy that thrives, for a country that we can be proud of, that lives up to our values. But in that process, we've got to do it in a way that grows our connection. And if folks get involved [e-mail], my hope is that they're not just having a big impact, they're also driving meaning from that impact and sinking their teeth into a political strategy that even if they are brand new to politics and they've never done anything besides listening to news and listening to great shows like yours, they've never turned that into action yet that they can get involved. And the vast majority of folks are much stronger political leaders than they know. And our job is to hold a mirror to them and also offer them the on ramps to really high impact opportunities that again will shift the balance of power, which we can do. We're only three seats away from doing that in one of the most critical levers of government, which is the House of Representatives.

[Ben]

I always get asked from our viewers, well, what can I do now? What can I do? I think this is a step that you can take. Go to the website, take a look at what chapters are nearby, think about starting your own chapter and then share the photos and videos online. Tag us. I'm sure there's a place where people can post the photos and share the ideas they'll get to me. And Midas will do our best to also share what's going on out there. You know, in the field. Now's the time to start. And so I thought it's important to highlight all of that. And Yasmin Raji, executive director of Swing Lift, thanks for joining us.

[Yasmin Rogers]

Thank you so much. It's great seeing you, Ben.

[Ben]

You too. And everybody. Hit subscribe and let's get to 5 million subscribers. Love this video. Continue the conversation by following us on Instagram. It's touch and help US blow past 1 million followers.